


The Elimination Part 2

by starfire29



Series: Masterchef Australia Season 7 One-Shots [3]
Category: MasterChef Australia (TV) RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-11 00:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4414265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starfire29/pseuds/starfire29
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reynold thoughts during the challenge and how he reacts to Matthew's elimination.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Elimination Part 2

**Author's Note:**

> another one shot based on the episode where Matthew gets eliminated. i just wanted to write how i think reynold would react to being the last guy standing. part of my one-shot series.

I walk into the Masterchef kitchen with Matthew, Jessica and Sara. I am feeling a little bit nervous and anxious about the challenge today. I see the judges with Marco standing in front. I stand in between Jessica and Matthew. George tells us get fired up while Gary starts talking about childhood memories. Gary asks Marco about the importance of memories and food. Marco then starts talking about his experiences and dreams. Then Sara starts crying. I notice Matthew giving her a hug. Sara's getting really emotional. Matthew pats her shoulder gently. Marco tells us to think about our families and our memories. George mentions the rules. 90 minutes to produce a dish based on our childhood memories and an open pantry including the garden. The judges will decide based on taste and how well we invoke the sense of nostalgia. The worst dish will send it's maker home. At this point, I am actually pretty excited. I can't wait to start cooking.

Time starts and I run into the pantry behind the others. I quickly grab a basket and get my ingredients. I know exactly what I am going to make. I am going to play with my strength and make a dessert. I am going to make chocolate ganache. It's the very first chocolate dessert I ever made and I never finished making it until now. I run out of the pantry and head to my bench. I immediately start cooking. The first thing I get done is the chocolate ganache. I start talking about my upbringing and reading my mom's cookbooks. It's only now that I have a dish in my head. Marco and Gary come up to my bench and start talking. I tell the judges that I am making chocolate and that I am going to add some little things that I like such as honeycomb, orange and a rosemary ice cream. Marco and Gary seem to like my idea. And it gets me excited. If I can pull this off today, I will be really happy and I know my mom will be proud. 

I have my chocolate ganache setting in the fridge. I want to finish this chocolate ganache dessert that I have never been able to finish before. I am also making a rosemary ice cream in order to add a savory flavor. To make the dish more special I am adding some other elements including some honeycomb. I am worried about making the honeycomb because I haven't got a good history with it. In the asian restaurant challange I stuffed up the honeycomb twice. Once I get the honeycomb mixture into the pot, I heat up to about 160 degrees and put it on a silmat. The honeycomb looks a bit too pale. I am definitely going home if this doesn't work. I just hope it becomes darker.

The next thing I do is make my chocolate crumb. I add some almond meal, cocoa powder, flour, an egg yolk and butter and I blitz it up. I am hoping I don't fall behind. If I go home on this dish I will be absolutely gutted. I'd be devastated. 

I'm feeling a bit of pressure. I check on my honeycomb and it's too soft. It hasn't worked. Marco and George appear at my bench as Marco asks me what has happened to the honeycomb. I tell him that I didn't take my sugar far enough and that I have to do it again. Marco tells me that I have 30 mins to go. He asks if I'll be ready. I tell him hopefully. He questions that and I tell him that yes I'll be ready. He says that he hopes so too. The judges leave me alone. I have 30 mins to get this right. This is a dish that I love to cook so I don't want to fail today. I am going to try again, try again until I get it right. 

I make the honeycomb again and this time I use a thermometer in order to make sure that it comes up to the right temperature. I pour my second load of honeycomb and it looks good. I am quite happy about it. I know I have bitten off more than I can chew. I just want to get things done. So I decided to add another chocolate element. I am going to temper chocolate because I remember the first time I got it wrong and when I got it right it was one of the best days of my life. Today is an elimination day, one of us could go home and I want to invoke my childhood. I take out the chocolate and spread it very thinly on the acetate. I hope it's going to set. 

The chocolate seems to be working. I check on my honeycomb, I snap it and it works. It's looking how I wanted it to look like. I finally got honeycomb right in the masterchef kitchen. Everything is slowly coming together. I just hope I can keep it together. 

Less then 10 mins to go and I start plating up. I cut a circle out of the ganache and a hole in the middle. I cube up the orange jelly and put that in the center. The next thing to do is to put the chocolate crumb on top. Marco and George taste my crumble and they both make a face. I wonder if its burnt. I taste the crumble and there's something missing. That's when I realize that I forgot to put sugar in the mixture. I can't believe it. That is such a stupid mistake. It just flew over my head. The only thing I can do at this point is cover the crumb with some caster sugar and hopefully it will cover the sweetness. I'm talking a risk. It's all or nothing. I finish plating up my dish and I'm really proud of what I done. I have done a lot desserts before but this special to me because it's my childhood memory. 

I think I did my childhood memory justice. I know my family would be surpised and my mom would say that she's proud of me if I had put this dish in front of her. 

I bring my dish to the judges. I feel really happy that I pulled it off. I sit in front of the judges before they taste my dish. Gary says my dish looks stunning. The judges mention my upbringing. I tell them that food came from self learning and reading those cook books. I was just a 15 year old kid reading through a cook book and I was just so amazed. Gary asks if my mom inspires me and I say yes definitely. He asks me if I would love to put this dish in front of my mom now and I say yes definitely again. He then asks me what I would say to my mom and I tell him that I would tell my mom that I want to find my own way in food. 

Marco tells me that he listened to my story and what was very obvious for him was that my mother made great sacrifices for me and my brothers. He also understands that my mother didn't want me to walk into the kitchen. What this dish highlights, Marco tells me is your ability to organize and to achieve a lot in a small time. The amount of work that you have done in 90 mins is extraordinary, Marco adds. Then Marco tells me that he'd employ me. I smile. To hear that is amazing. I tell the judges that I never expected to achieve this much. I have always been so shy about serving food to people because I don't know wether it's good or bad. I feel really stunned but I'm proud of myself. George tells me that they are proud of me too and that it's time for them to taste. I thank the judges and leave. 

I wait in the lounge area with Matthew, Jessica and Sara. I really hope the judges like my dish. The others bring their dishes to be tasted. After all the tasting is done, we are all called out. I stand in between Matthew and Sara waiting for the verdict. The judges come out. George starts a montage and tells us that one dish blew their minds. George calls me and tell me that they loved my dessert. I am declared safe and I join Billie and Georgia. Georgia hugs me and Billie pats my back. 

Matthew, Sara and Jessica are left standing. The judges talk about each of the dishes. They mention that there was one dish that lacked balance. They tell Matthew that he's going home. I am shocked and really saddned by this. With Matthew gone, I am the only guy left. The girls are all crying. Matthew tells Sara not to make him cry. George mentions all the great dishes that Matthew has put up in the past. Gary asks about his favorite moments. Matthew mentions all the team challenges especially the Packapunyal team challenge since he was an army boy. Gary says that his growth has been incredible. Gary turns to me asks if I will miss Matthew. 

I tell them that I'm shattered. Matthew is always postive no matter if it was a bad day. He always supports everyone. I tell Matthew that he has been a good mate. I start crying as I go over to hug him. Matthew hugs everyone and leaves. We all clap as he walks out. I stand with the girls. I dry my tears. George tells us that we are in the final week. I am the only guy in the top 5. The judges tell us that there is a special Marco masterclass the next day. We all hug each other. Marco is amazed by the growth he's seen in us. The judges send us off. 

I am really quiet while waiting for the car to pick us up. I stay slient throughout the car ride. Back at the house, I pull my luggage inside. I bring my stuff to the room. And that's when I was confronted by an empty room. Matthew is gone and I am all alone in this room now. I break down and cry. I sit against the wall of the room and I pull my knees up in front of me. I cry until I hear the sound of footsteps approaching. I look up and I see the girls have entered the room. 

The girls look at my tear-stained face and they all hug me tightly. The girls made dinner already and they came looking for me when they realized that I haven't left the room since I arrived. Billie pulls me up. I wipe the tears from my face. I have dinner and drinks with the girls. After dinner, we all hang out for a bit before heading to bed. 

That night as I lay down in bed, I thought about all the guys and how I could win this for them. I was going to do my best to win this competition.


End file.
